CET 451 Fall’13 Observation Task 1

GETTING TO KNOW THE SCHOOL & THE CLASSROOM

FOR THIS OBSERVATION TASK, YOU NEED TO DO THE FOLLOWING:

- walk around the school and explore its different quarters- gather information about the school and school rules- look carefully around the classroom you are in- talk to teachers and try to find out what they think about their profession

PART I: SCHOOL-WIDE OBSERVATIONS

1. PLEASE NOTE THE URL OF THE SCHOOL WEBSITE:

http://www.darussafaka.k12.tr/

2. PLEASE GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING:

school calendar with holidays, special days, and school events

Darüşşafaka Educational Institutions have only one differences from another

Educational Institutions recorded in the MEB and that is the beginning of the education

season starts one week earlier than the other. That means, they begin their educational season

8 September 2014 instead of 15 September 2014. They don’t have special school events.

Public school calendar with holidays, special days and special school events were

mentioned in Turkish language in the below pictures that have been printed 11 pages.

(Darüşşafaka 2014 – 2015 Eğitim Öğretim Yılı Çalışma Takvimi)

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CET 451 Fall’13 Observation Task 1

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class schedule of your collaborating teacher(s)

My collaborating teacher Yonca has two different class schedule in 9. Grade

classroom. One of them is forced from MEB the other is hers special schedule. In the class he

is implementing hers own schedule because she thinks MEB’s schedule too simple, outdated

and actually children needs more than that. MEB’s schedule is about introducing computer

hardware. The one she is implementing is photoshop lessons.

In the first period of the educational season, children will start to learn in the beginning

of the concepts of the photoshop and will end with the targeted position that having the ability

to designing professional posters. She is planning to teach the all necessary items to reach that

goal.

In second period of the educational season, children will learn respectively

- creating online animation

- creating a digital dashboard

- creating a presentation with Prezi

- how to use MAC systems

- creating e-book

- digital timing

- specials of Google drive

- info graphic

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Also this picture is representing our teachers schedule in the whole school that which

classroom she is going to lecture with yellow ink.

school-wide procedures: lunch, attendance, absence

Those procedures is the same with other schools and that is Children have 10 days

absence right without excuse and 35 days with an excuse, totally 45 days. If children exceed

the 45 days line they will lose their education right for current year and they will start again

next year. Lunch hour is 13:00 PM.

health issues and specific needs

There is one infirmary with one doctor and 3 nurses, open seven days and 24 hours.

Children can address their specific needs with contacting the administrators.

dress code for students & teachers

School give the necessary dresses for schools to children. First and middle school

children dress white t-shirt and navy blue linen pants high school children put on navy blue t-

shirt and linen pants.

Teachers have to shave their beard if they need and cannot wear jeans. They cannot

dress transparent and must be clear.

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3. PLEASE FIND THE FOLLOWING STATISTICS FOR YOUR SCHOOL.

HOW MANY? NUMBER

STUDENTS AT THE SCHOOL 960

TEACHERS 123

ADMINISTRATORS 12

COMPUTER TEACHERS 3

SCIENCE/MATH TEACHERS 26

AVERAGE NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN A CLASS 23BOOKS AND PERIODICALS IN THE LIBRARY Around 5000

TECHNOLOGY RELATED BOOKS Between 150-200

COMPUTER LABS AT THE SCHOOL 2

COMPUTERS(220), PRINTERS(10), PERIPHERALS Around 230

4. PLEASE VISIT THE LIBRARY, AND FIRST DESCRIBE ITS PHYSICAL APPEARANCE.

It seems spacious, wide and clear. All floor was carpeting. There is an advisory board the right side of the entrance and at the left side there are a few couches that children can read their books in peace. Before the book sections, there are nearly 15 computers that anybody can use. There is also a big space with tables and chairs near the windows that children can study. There are two special study rooms for those who wants to study alone or with only their own group. In the middle of those there are the books placed on their shelves periodically.

5. NOW TAKE A LOOK AT THE BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY. EXAMINE A SCIENCE OR MATH RELATED BOOK, AND A BOOK ON TECHNOLOGY. PROVIDE CITATION (I.E. TITLE, NAME OF AUTHOR, PUBLISHER, YEAR AND PLACE OF PUBLICATION) FOR EACH BOOK.

SCIENCE/MATH

RELATED

Life science – The challenge of Discovery, Linda A. WARNER,

Sherry A. LAWSON, Loretta Kett BIERER, Trace L. Cohen, D.C.

HEAT AND COMPANY, 1991 Lexington, Massachuset/Toronto,

Ontario

TECHNOLOGY

RELATED

Understanding Data Communication, George E. FRIEND, John

L. FIKE, H. Charles BAKER, John C. BELLAMY, HOWARD W.

SAMS & COMPANY/ A Division of Macmillan, Inc. 1988,

Printed in the USA

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6. WHERE IS THE LIBRARY LOCATED? HOW DO STUDENTS ACCESS THE RESOURCES IN THE LIBRARY?

Students can find library easily because it is located in the first floor of the main building. They can study in the library and use books in there or they can barrow books with their student identity number.

7. DOES THE SCHOOL HAVE AN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY OFFICE? IF SO, PLEASE MEET WITH EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY SPECIALISTS AT THE SCHOOL AND FIND OUT WHAT THEY DO.

In this school, there is not technology office. However there are two classes with equipped tablets. Teachers and students use them like a computer laboratory.

8. PLEASE COMMENT ON YOUR OVERALL IMPRESSION OF THE SCHOOL, BASED ON THE DATA YOU HAVE GATHERED ABOVE. AS YOU EXPLORED THE SCHOOL AND TALKED TO STUDENTS AND TEACHERS, DID YOU COME ACROSS ANYTHING NOTEWORTHY, PRAISEWORTHY, INTERESTING, UNUSUAL, ENCOURAGING, DISCOURAGING, UNPLEASANT, ETC.? JUSTIFY WHY YOU THİNK SO BY REFERING TO THE PROFESSIONAL LITERATURE.

Darüşşafaka Educational Institutions are amazing. I didn’t expect that but all students are well-behaved and those I have met seems clever enough. Corridors of the schools decoreted with the paintings, sculptures and posters. I think those that I mentioned was created by the students.

Whole place seems created by the idea that children can feel they are at home and this is their second or the only house designed for them. They satify their all needs in there.

The one an interesting thing comes to me that before the first lesson, lefting backpacks to the ground of the floor by the student. I don’t know why they are doing this and how they feel right about that without any fear of thievery or something else.

PART II: THE PHYSICAL CLASSROOM

1. LOOK AROUND YOU AS YOU ENTER THE CLASSROOM. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU HAVE NOTICED?

When I first entered the classroom, it seems to me stuffy and kind a narrow space for a computer laboratory. However, when the lecture was given and everybody sat their places, this stuffy climate was gone. The first thing that I have noticed was the teacher desk because it is next to door and it is an only computer seperated from another aligned computers.

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2. DESCRIBE THE PHYSICAL CLASSROOM, AND ITS EFFECTS ON

STUDENT MOTIVATION.

a. WHAT SHAPE IS THE CLASSROOM?

Shape of the room is rectangular but with the replacement of computers it seems like a

square.

b. HOW ARE THE STUDENTS SEATED?

Computers are replaced to the 3 side of the classroom and two of them are left and

right and the other one is whole made up with the windows. It seems like that ||’’’’’’||

when you first enter the classroom. Students are seated on those computer.

c. WHERE IS THE TEACHER’S DESK?

Teacher desk is too next to the door and it is the only computer seperated from another

aligned computers. It has a wide viewing angle to check the students and she can see the

projected screen to the wall.

d. WHERE ARE THE WINDOWS? HOW LARGE? CURTAINS?

Windows in the classroom take nearly all of the space where it is placed and it is the

opposite side of the door. Whole windows are on one wall and it is covered with wall colored

curtains. The color of walls is chestnut(kestane rengi).

e. WHAT’S ON THE WALLS?

- One wall has windows and covered with curtains and that is the whole thing.

- The wall in the right side of the door has no any poster on it because screen of the teacher is reflected to that wall and teacher may not want to disturb kids when she lectures.

- The wall in the left side of the door has The Atatürk Corner and some posters can be pasted on that board. Also one little poster occupy a place in the left corner of that wall.

- The wall that the door take up space has a board that teacher can sign on it and can lecture with it. Also have one poster of Atatürk, the Turkish National Anthem and Atatürk’s address to the Turkish Youth

-

f. WHERE ARE THE ELECTRIC OUTLETS?

Electrical cables were laid to the bottom of the whole walls and electric outlets were

placed on it to address the necessary power for the computers. They are placed behind of the

computers so that students can not hurt themselves easily.

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g. IS THE CLASSROOM TOO WARM, OR TOO CHILLY, OR JUST

RIGHT?

It was just right, both times.

3. DRAW A MAP OF THE CLASSROOM.

4. DOES ORGANIZATION OF SPACE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT STUDENTS’ NEEDS?

a. RESOURCES/TOOLS OF COMMON USE (E.G. PRINTER, TRASH

CAN, ETC.) EASILY ACCESSIBLE??

Only the “trash can” can be hard to reach in the classroom because there is only one

trash can and it is next to door. Because of that some children may not reach it easy and it can

interrupt the classroom management of the teacher if some of them wants to use it. There is

only one printer in the classroom but I cannot assume a possibility that it can be a problem.

The other needs of the students in the classroom satisfied very well.

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b. STUDENTS MOVE IN AND OUT OF THEIR SEATS

COMFORTABLY??

Design of the classroom gives chance to students move easily in the classroom and

even if some of their seats have various problems, seats are comfortable.

c. SPACE ALLOCATED FOR STUDENTS’ BELONGINGS, I.E.

OVERCOATS & BACKPACKS??

In our class, there was no space for overcoats and backpack unless students can keep

them on their seats and under their computer desk. I don’t know why there is no any hanger to

keep their overcoats but may be it is because of being boarding school and children has their

own cabinet on their corridors.

5. WHAT ROLE DOES EACH ASPECT OF THIS PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT PLAY IN CREATING A “LEARNING ENVIRONMENT”?

Designing the school environment gives students a lot of free space, and climate is airy. Every things in that environment make students feel comfortable and there is everything that one student can need. Maslow’s theory of needs begins with the fundamental needs and he says those who cannot address their basic needs fully cannot reach the next levels of creating and questioning very well. Environment of Darüşşafaka is meeting those needs of students nearly 100% and this gives students a chance to think clearly and develop their selves and learn what they need and want.

Sinan Başbuğa2010100012

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